Weapons

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- A state prison inmate serving a sentence for second-degree murder was sentenced last week in Washington County Circuit Court to an additional two years in prison after he pleaded guilty to possession of a weapon while in detention and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to court records. Gregory Everett, 30, an inmate at Roxbury Correctional Institution south of Hagerstown, was sentenced May 4 by Circuit Judge W. Kennedy Boone III, records show. In exchange for the plea, the State's Attorney's Office agreed to dismiss three counts of possession of contraband while in confinement and one count each of possession of a weapon while in detention, possession of a controlled dangerous substance and possession of a controlled dangerous substance while in detention, records show.

A state prison inmate pleaded guilty Tuesday in Washington County Circuit Court to possession of two homemade weapons and received an additional three years behind bars. Edward Bentley, 51, an inmate at Maryland Correctional Institution, pleaded guilty before Judge W. Kennedy Boone III to possession of a weapon while in confinement. Assistant State's Attorney Gina Cirincion said a second count of possession of a weapon while in confinement will be dismissed, along with two counts of possession of a concealed deadly weapon.

HAGERSTOWN -- A Roxbury Correctional Institution inmate pleaded guilty Thursday in Washington County Circuit Court to possession of a dangerous concealed weapon and was sentenced to an additional 18 months in prison. On July 21, 2009, correctional officers at the prison conducted a strip search of Robert Vicks, 28, and discovered a homemade knife in his underwear, according to the statement of facts read in court by Assistant State's Attorney Christopher McCormack. In exchange for the plea, the state dismissed a charge of possession of a weapon when while in detention, McCormack said.

The South Hagerstown Rebels celebrated their Homecoming in fine fashion on Friday night. The Rebels took control right from the get-go as they proceeded to shoot down the Poolesville Falcons 53-20 in a Maryland high school football game. South Hagerstown (3-2) just had too many weapons for Poolesville (0-5). Senior quarterback Brandon Hess completed eight of his 11 passes for 109 yards and had a touchdown pass for the Rebels. Senior running back Ahmere Ware gained 98 rushing yards on only six carries and had two touchdown runs for the Rebels.

With a section of the city's firearm regulations requiring repeal because it is superseded by state law, the Hagerstown police chief wants to take the opportunity to “close a gap” in current restrictions by making it unlawful to possess and transport weapons on city streets unless they are unloaded and enclosed in a case.  Police Chief Mark Holtzman told the mayor and five-member city council Tuesday during a work session at City Hall that...

A man and two women pulled a gun and a knife on the residents of an apartment on Bethune Avenue just before 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Hagerstown City Police said. The trio left in a small, white two-door car, Sgt. Ken Wasilius said. He said he did not know what, if anything, was stolen, or how they entered the apartment, located at 341 Bethune Ave. Police were searching for a white man with a goatee, about 6 foot 2 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds, Wasilius said. He was accompanied by two black women, he added.

The American Civil War might have reached a swifter conclusion had the federal government not armed its soldiers with inexpensive weapons to save money, said George Wunderlich, executive director of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, Md. The .58-caliber rifle that was the workhorse of the Union army was mass produced because it cost only $13 to manufacture, Wunderlich said. But the drawback was that the soldier had to reload the weapon through the muzzle after he fired each shot.

charlestown@herald-mail.com HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. - A steady stream of tourists poured into Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Sunday to enjoy picture-perfect weather and learn about the bustling weapons industry that employed hundreds of people in Harpers Ferry in the years leading up to the Civil War. When George Washington was president, the country was getting most of its guns from France, said park ranger Melinda Day. Washington was...

SHARPSBURG - The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will sponsor a sight-in for deer hunters on Sunday. Hunters will be allowed to sight-in their weapons at the Western Maryland Sportsmen Club on Dam No. 4 Road at the C&O Canal from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The sight-in is free.

With a section of the city's firearm regulations requiring repeal because it is superseded by state law, the Hagerstown police chief wants to take the opportunity to “close a gap” in current restrictions by making it unlawful to possess and transport weapons on city streets unless they are unloaded and enclosed in a case.  Police Chief Mark Holtzman told the mayor and five-member city council Tuesday during a work session at City Hall that...

A man accused of shooting another man and an 8-year-old girl at Martinsburg's Fourth of July celebration last year was found guilty by a Berkeley County jury Wednesday of felony possession of a firearm. Daniel Herbert, 28, who is incarcerated, is scheduled to be sentenced July 25, Berkeley County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Gregory K. Jones said Wednesday. Herbert, who faces a maximum of a five-year prison sentence for the firearm conviction, is scheduled to have a second trial Sept.

A Sharpsburg man whose home and property were searched last fall by dozens of Maryland State Police and other law enforcement officers looking for illegally possessed firearms received a one-year suspended sentence after he pleaded guilty to two charges Thursday in Washington County Circuit Court. Terry A. Porter, 46, of 4433 Mills Road, also was placed on unsupervised probation for two years by Judge Dana Moylan Wright. She ordered him to pay $175 in court costs, but did not fine Porter.

A 15-year-old boy was charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of a weapon on school property for an incident at Waynesboro Area Senior High School, Waynesboro police said in a news release. Police said they were called to the school on the morning of April 24.

A reported stabbing early Friday led Martinsburg police to a West Race Street apartment where they found 113 grams of crack cocaine and about $11,300, the police department announced. The investigation ultimately led to the discovery of a stolen AK-47 semi-automatic rifle and a stolen shotgun, and ammunition found in the storage unit in Berkeley County, police said. The name of a man who was treated at City Hospital in Martinsburg for a knife wound on his neck was not released by police, pending further investigation.

A medical practice was evacuated Wednesday after Martinsburg police said a 70-year-old Inwood, W.Va., man became angry and pointed a gun at an employee upon being told he would need to change his clothes for an X-ray, according to Berkeley County Magistrate Court records. No one was injured in the incident, which occurred in the Center for Orthopedic Excellence at 1008 Tavern Road in Martinsburg, according to court documents. William Michael Holmes, 70, of 52 Myatt Court, was arraigned on one misdemeanor count of brandishing a deadly weapon by Magistrate Harry L. Snow and was released from custody after bail was posted, according to court documents.

With all due respect to the national hysteria du jour, gun control isn't anything I give any serious thought to on a regular basis. I suppose, if you put a gun to my head (hahaha) I would probably support free and open ownership of all weaponry, as soon as we can guarantee that we can keep it out of the hands of the criminally insane. But I do rather enjoy all the stated reasons for possessing rapid-fire rifles, including the standard “government tyranny” defense. It is not because I do not believe in the clear and present danger of government tyranny - it's just that the dudes who go on and on about it are all talk and no action.

A Washington County Circuit Court jury on Thursday found a Hagerstown man guilty of assault and weapons charges for attacking a man during a 2012 drug deal. Judge Dana Moylan Wright ordered a presentence investigation for Eric Shaquille Baymon, who was found guilty of first- and second-degree assault, use of a handgun in a crime of violence, reckless endangerment and two other gun charges. First-degree assault carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and use of a handgun in a crime of violence has a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, under Maryland law. Baymon, 19, of 42 E. Washington St., was charged in an April 11, 2012, incident near the intersection of Lee and Potomac streets in which he was accused of assaulting Giancarlos Badia, 22, of 272 S. Potomac St., according to Hagerstown police charging documents.

At least two Franklin County, Pa., businesses are among the vendors deciding to not attend the 58th annual Eastern Sports and Outdoors Show because the event's organizer banned the display and sale of assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. Keystone Country Store of Fort Loudon, Pa., said on its Facebook page that it will not attend the show, but it already sponsored archery shoots that are expected to be held as usual. GUTNTAG LLC, of Greencastle, Pa., also decided to pull out of the show.

A Hagerstown woman accused of stabbing and seriously injuring her boyfriend Tuesday morning was ordered to remain in the county detention center without bail during a bond review hearing Wednesday in Washington County District Court. Renee Nichole Benjamin, 19, of 720 W. Franklin St., appeared before District Court Judge Ralph H. France II via closed circuit television from the detention center. Benjamin is charged with first- and second-degree attempted murder, first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and carrying a dangerous weapon with intent to injure in the incident at her home.